How Aromatherapy Surprised Me: 3 Stories

Coming up tomorrow, we've got the morning routine quiz, and then, on Friday, our series continues with its first post about aromatherapy and slow evening routines. But I thought today, I'd tell you a little of my aromatherapy story. Aromatherapy has shocked me three times (if not more) with what it could do...

Synergy and Sneezing: And Then,
There Was None

My first introduction to the real magic of aromatherapy happened during the dark ages - meaning, when there was no Internet. I was working as a therapist in what I'd call a sick building. For whatever reason, not only did coworkers share the latest maladies, but the building seemed to spontaneously erupt in sick-making, but with no apparent cause.

On one such occasion, I had a sinus infection. The building had had a smell for days, so I knew it was the culprit.

I was taking nettles, a supplement that works as an antihistamine, but it wasn't working. I was sneezing, my nose was running and I was miserable.

Consulting the magic book at the health food store, by which I mean the great big book of recommendations alphabetized by illness, I saw that both peppermint & eucalyptus essential oils were said to be helpful. And I had a plug-in diffuser, which meant I could take it to work.

I bought them both and the next morning, when the misery started again, I plugged it in. Well, I kid you not, but by the end of my work day, I was fine.

My head still felt a wee bit thick or stuffy, but the sneezing was gone, the runny nose was dry and I could think clearly again.

Since then, I have used that formula again and again and again. Sometimes, all I have are a Ziploc bag and cotton balls, but when I combine them with the oils, and let them synergize, voila, I have the same magic.

Being Late: And Other Night Owl Tales of Woe

I was so thrilled by what happened with my sinus issues, that when I found out about an aromatherapist near me, who would consult with you for free & only charge for the blends she made, I was all over it. I hadn't had any aromatherapy training, myself, at that point, so I saw her as a goddess of knowledge!

And I wondered if she could help me with my sleep issues. I was a night owl to the extreme, and because of that, my mornings were a madcap dash to get ready and speed to work, while I both ate and put my makeup on in the car.

She listened to me describe my typical evening, and gave me an oil I had never tried before, called spikenard (yes, it is biblically famous). She told me to eat dinner, put my pajamas on, get completely ready for bed, put the oil on and just wait. But I'd need to be able to get to bed fairly quickly once it worked.

Boy, was she right! It took about two hours to make me sleepy, and I read and watched TV while I waited each night. But once it hit, I felt powerfully compelled to go to bed. And with her help, I was able to go to sleep at 10pm every night, which was practically unheard of before I used the oil she made for me.

A word about spikenard - I think it stinks to high heaven (makes sense, since it is biblical). I was single then, and thank goodness, because no one else had to witness that extraordinary fragrance.

But it worked like a charm.

These days, I'd use something I like much better.

But I am still so grateful for that aromatherapist, stinky smelling oil, or not, because I didn't think anything could get me to sleep on time. And I was thrilled when she proved me wrong.

The Story of the Faith Spray

My last aromatherapy story is about faith. In addition to being a certified aromatherapy practitioner now, I am also a certified spiritual aromatherapist.

And when I was in training for the latter certification, we had to make blends both for ourselves and others, and document what we made, how we used it and what the results were. Naturally, I strong-armed my mother into volunteering to be helped.

She told me about some stress she was dealing with and asked for help with trusting God in that situation. But get this - she didn't want to have to actually have to remember to use the oil, herself.

She wanted me to make it, use it and send it to her at a distance. What?

But believe it or not, that was part of what we were learning in the training, so I was willing to try it. So, I made her an aromatherapy blend and put it in a spray bottle. I sprayed it while she was on the phone with me and we were both silent as I sent her prayer and used an energy healing technique.

She said, "what did you do?" because she felt a shift. Turned out, it actually worked! Go figure.

So there you have it, three stories of how surprisingly powerful essential oils have been in my life and those I have worked with, but what about you? Do you have any stories to tell? Tell me in a comment.

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine